Health Service Region 1 Meat Safety Assurance

Purpose

The Meat Safety Assurance Program in HSR 1 protects the public health by assuring that products bearing the Texas mark of inspection are produced from healthy animals that are slaughtered and prepared in a sanitary manner, contain no harmful ingredients, and are truthfully labeled.

The Meat Safety Assurance Division will act in accordance with the highest standards of ethics, accountability, efficiency, and openness. We affirm that public health is a public and private trust. We approach our activities with a deep sense of purpose and responsibility. The public and regulated community alike can be assured of a balanced, sensible, and fair approach to regulation. We respect individuals' rights to achieve and sustain social and economic prosperity as well as expect safe and healthy meat food products.

MSA regulates 11 custom exempt establishments. Custom exempt plants slaughter and process beef, swine, lamb, and goats without inspection. These products are marked "Not for Sale" and cannot be sold in commerce. Products derived from animals slaughtered without inspection must be returned to the owner of the animals for his/her personal use. CE plants are located in Amarillo, Earth, Hereford, Littlefield, Muleshoe, Perryton, Seminole, Texline, and Wellington.

MSA regulates 1 establishment in Amarillo through a cooperative agreement with the federal inspection system. This establishment is a slaughter and processing plant, primarily distributing beef, pork, and poultry products bearing the federal mark of inspection. Products bearing the federal mark of inspection can cross state lines into interstate commerce.

The Meat Safety Assurance workforce in HSR 1 consists of an MSA Program Veterinarian, one Inspector VI, one Inspector V, and 6 MSA Inspector IV(s). The Inspector IV(s) perform the daily inspection procedures in inspected establishments across the region. Three additional Inspector IV’s provide daily meat and poultry inspection to inspected establishments in Midland, Odessa, and Alpine.

DSHS Meat Safety Assurance Program related links:

External links to other sites are intended to be informational and do not have the endorsement of the Department of State Health Services. These links may also not be accessible to persons with disabilities.